Refraction Read Online Free PDF Page B

work.”
    Max groaned. “There has to be a better way, though.”
    Life was too complicated already trying to navigate school with Crush attached to his hip. He’d been hoping to lie low on the professional end of things. Keep his head down for a while. Every time he had to fight Crush outside of school was an opportunity to slip up and expose himself—either to Crush or to his mom, who he definitely did not want to know about his secret, illicit friendship.
    “The way to success is perseverance and elbow grease,” his mother instructed, dooming Max to be a junior hero wrangler and, inevitably, a disaster.
     
     
    “DYNAMAN, CAPTURE the Crush and detain him!”
    “Really?” Max cringed. “Why can’t I—”
    “Do you ever want to see your car keys again, young man?”
    “Ugh. Fine .”
     
     
    “DYNAMAN, THE Crush!”
    “On it,” Max grumbled.
     
     
    “DYNAMAN! CAPTURE—”
    “—the Crush and detain him. I got it.”
     
     
    CRUSH TAPPED his fingers on the arm of his chair, scowling. It was currently the only part of his body he could move—Max had been a little irritated and maybe had gone overboard on the duct tape alloy his mom invented. “So why does your family keep kidnapping me?” Crush asked.
    To be honest, Max was surprised it had taken him this long.
    Max had decided on the power plant control room this time. Gas the guard, set phasers to autopilot, and no one’s the wiser as long as the plant’s alarms didn’t go off. It was a cushy gig.
    Max spun his (ergonomic, top of the line) computer chair absently. It was a sweet room but seriously lacking in entertainment, unless you had a particular interest in CCTV. Plus, there were no pockets on his costume, so he didn’t even have his phone to play with, and his mom had chewed him out the last time he’d abandoned Crush on the roof.
    “Standard procedure,” he answered. He’d gotten dangerously comfortable with this little double life he had to lead. His fear that Crush would figure it out had slowly faded—Crush just wasn’t used to looking for duplicity the way Max was.
    “Wait, what?”
    “Yeah, there’s a rehabilitation track for all underage superheroes. Capture and reeducate.” Max planted his feet on the floor, the room continuing to spin around him for a moment as he righted himself. “You didn’t know?”
    “You want to—you think you’re going to sway a superhero to a life of crime?”
    Max shrugged, his lips quirked. “It’s happened before.”
    “No, it—” Crush sputtered. “No, it has not.”
    Crush was so funny when he was indignant. He was always so steady at school. Max wanted to rile him up. He kicked his feet up on the computer console, feeling enormously self-satisfied. “Doctor Decay.”
    Crush’s face bunched up like he’d eaten a slimy sock. “But that guy is… horrible.”
    “Overcompensating,” Max confided. Decay was pretty gross. His battles had brutal civilian casualty counts and hardly any pizzazz at all. Most of the Injustice League avoided working with him more than absolutely necessary. His mother had a particular distaste for him, especially lately.
    “So why aren’t you trying to reeducate me?” Crush asked. He seemed to have forgotten about attempting to break through his restraints. “All we ever do is sit here.”
    “Not much to work with, I guess.” Max smirked just to see what Crush would do.
    “I’m not dumb,” Crush growled. A sore point, apparently. Another thing Crush didn’t seem to be touchy about at school. He asked Max a lot of questions about homework, but he seemed to approach it as collaborative and never acted begrudging about it.
    “I don’t think you’re dumb. I just don’t think you have what it takes to be a supervillain,” Max said. “You’re not cut out for it.”
    “Good!” Crush attempted to cross his arms but just ended up rattling his chair a bit. “ Thank you .”
    It helped Max to think of Crush as two separate people. The Crush was